In praise of "Beater" hot rods.....They may be ugly....But their fast!!

Not everyone has 20 or 30 or 50 grand to put into a classic musclecar. There's a lot of people out there who'd still like to have a fast car to play with, even if they only had 4 or 5 thousand to play with, including the purchase price of the car. Here's some beaters with great potential. # 1. 1969-76 Pontiac Gran Prix. 400 4bbl power standard all years and a fair number of  '70-76 models had 455s. They all had front disc brakes and "Radial Tuned Suspension"-wrist-thick front and rear sway bars as well. Don't sell your soul trying to get ten grand together for a big-block Chevelle or Monte Carlo that needs work-you can buy a nice GP for half that or less.  # 2. 1973-79 GM "X" body. This includes Chevy Novas, Pontiac Venturas, Olds Omegas, and Buick Apollos. A lot of '75 and later models might have 305 small-block Chevys in them which is, if anything a plus factor. A stout 350 or 383 stroker would drop right in. The real bargains are the Venturas with 350 Pontiacs and the Omegas with 350 Olds engines. Since they weigh about 600 lbs less than the average '70's Camaro or Firebird, with very little work-intake, exhaust, and an axle-ratio change these cars can really rock. Or for a stormin' sleeper a 400 or 455 Pontiac is a literal bolt-in swap for a Ventura. A 403 Olds V8 will drop right in an Omega. Whether your building a drag racer or a great-handling "G" machine-your in luck-just about any suspension or brake upgrades that fit the Camaro / Firebird will fit these cars. # 3. 1971-77 Ford Maverick / Mercury Comet. Weighing in about 2,900 lbs, these make great sleepers. Forget the six-cylinder models; swapping engines in Fords is a nightmare. Look for the 302 V8 versions. 2bbl carburation, single exhausts and salt-flats gearing got them a rep as a "Dog". Some dual exhausts, a 4bbl carb and intake, and swapping the 2.80:1 gears for some 3.55:1 or 3.73:1s will have you showing your taillights to those smug Mustang owners quickly. A friend with a 440 Road Runner got his doors blown off by a warmed-over ugly green Maverick one night. # 4. 1975-79 Chevy Monza. This also includes Buick Skyhawks, Olds Starfires, and Pontiac Sunbirds. Forget the V6 models, the ones to look for are the 305 V8 Chevy versions. Again-2 bbl carburation, single exhausts, and 2.41:1 gears made them slugs. Add a 4bbl and some gears and you can torture '80's and '90's "5.0" Mustang owners at will. Or drop in a 350 or 383 and be a real badass. Special note: For some perverse reason, the 305 wasn't certified for California or High-Altitude emissions. Therefore if you ordered a V8, quite a few 1975 and 76 models sold in California or Rocky mountain states had 350s from the factory!!  Dynamite. # 5. 1970-76 Dodge Dart / Plymouth Duster. 340 versions command a king's ransom, but you can still find good deals on 318 models. With very little work these can really rock, or you could go to a junkyard and find a '92 and later Dodge Truck, van or Jeep Cherokee and yank the 318 or 360 "Magnum" V8 out and bolt it into your Dart / Duster. The Magnum heads breathe better than any factory head and many aftermarket ones, and Edelbrock makes 4bbl intakes for them. # 6. 1971-78 AMC Gremlin / Hornet / Spirit. Don't laugh. A friend of mine in high school had a 304 V8 Gremlin that he swapped a 401 into out of a Matador Police car. He smoked many an unsuspecting Camaro, Firebird and Mustang owner. Their light weight and short wheelbase actually makes them good drag racers-they have excellent weight distribution. Forget the 6-cylinder models look for the 304 V8 models. Some Hornets might have 360s stock. Or there are zillions of Grand Wagoneers in junkyards that you could pirate a 360 from. Edelbrock makes performance aluminum heads for these engines. # 7. 1975-79 Ford Granada / Mercury Monarch. Forget the 4-door versions and 6-cylinder models. The ones to look for are the 2-door V8 models. Most have the 302 / C4 for power, but there are quite a few with 351Ws!! Either way you can't go wrong. There are a million ways to build power into a small-block Ford, and a lot of these have 9 inch rear ends, with rear disc brakes!  Most people don't think of these cars as a performance platform, but they've got all the basics. I'd like to gut one, put a cage in it and a blower on the 302!!  Paint it monochromatic flat black and radius the fenderwells for big tires. Now that would be a modern-day Rat Rod!  Mastermind